A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries

February 2008 : Austin

Despite having made a two-week road trip through
Texas in 1994 and several subsequent, shorter visits, I'd still
never been to Austin, the Lone Star State's capital city. I nearly
made it in Spring 2007, but the trip had to be rearranged at the
last minute. I'd heard lots of good reports, including suggestions
that the city was a kind of oasis of fun-loving liberalism in the
deeply conservative Bible Belt of America. Anyway, I finally made it
and enjoyed the experience, although there was a price to be paid
for visiting so far out of season, and I did think the central
business district was a little boring. (Where are the shops? Silly
me - in out-of-town malls, of course!)

The undoubted highlight for me was the State
Capitol which, almost unbelievably, you can just wander into and
through. I was even able to admit myself to a live committee session
in the Senate and take photos, subject only to the minor restriction
of no flash! The underground extension has been extremely well
conceived and executed, including a kind of 'negative rotunda' cut
into the ground, contrasting with the dome of the main building.

State Capitol

Away from the
Capitol

The centre of attention

The end of my visit to Austin coincided with the arrival in town
of the two hottest names in US politics at the time, Senators
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, contenders for the Democratic
nomination for the next US Presidential election.